Dancing In The Dark
by ChampagneTasteBeerMoney
Summary: For Spring Break, juniors Maya and Riley visit NYU to get a tour from Riley's uncle, Josh. Josh and Maya once told each other that they would play the "Long Game". Will that last now that this the first time they've seen each other in at least two years? Joshaya.
1. Girl Meets Egg Rolls and Tacos

**AN: Cue Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In the Dark," right now, to enhance your reading experience. No, literally right now, it's the italicized font.**

It should be a crime, how fast time can fly. Maya swore just yesterday, she was sitting next to Riley at the bay window - _their_ bay window - watching the world go by. Now, they have to run and catch up to it. In the past few years, Maya gained a new father, a secret Monarch butterfly on the nape of her neck she named Janis and three boyfriends. But, it would only be fair to mention that she lost those boyfriends too. Also, she lost any clear sense of the direction she wanted to take in her life. All that was OK though because she still had Riley, the only person she needed. Together the girls were taking a trip to New York University for a Spring Break vacation. It was one of Riley's top schools and Maya, well… she was just along for the ride. Side by side, they took a Megabus to downtown New York City.

"Maya…"

 _I get up in the evening, and I ain't got nothing to say. I come home in the mornin', I go to bed feeling the same way._

"Maya…?"

 _I ain't nothin' but tired, man I'm tired and bored with myself. Hey, there baby, I could use just a little help. You can't start a fire. You can't start a fire without a spark, but this gun's for hire. Even if we're just dancing in the dark._

"MY-YAHH!" Riley shook her friend with both arms, waking her from daydreaming and making the earbuds drop. Other bus goers stopped what they were doing to see if they needed medical attention.

"God, what?!"

Hearing the attitude in Maya's tone, Riley answered her small, "I need to talk to you."

Maya sighed, leaning on the headrest and shutting her eyes. "What up, Thundercat?"

"I think," she paused dramatically. "That we," then the brunette gestured between the two of them. "Need to have the talk." She whispered so hard, Maya felt the spit ending at the 'k'.

Maya opened one blue eye, "The _talk-talk_?"

"The _**talk-talk-talk-talk-tallllkkkk**_."

Maya then gulped, sitting upright. "I knew this day would come. Just not so soon."

"I know."

"You're still...so young." Maya feigned tearfully.

"I know, but I'm growing up." Riley palmed Maya's tousled, blonde locks. "I have to experience things and I want you to experience them with me. You've raised me well, you know that, right?"

Holding back fake sobs, Maya reached for Riley's hands, "Yes. Yes, I do." Then, serious, "So, you and the Ranger are gonna… _duet_?"

Riley took a deep breath, "I've been very lucky with Lucas. He's never pressured me, always respected me and now that we maybe—we might— "

"Sound it out, honey."

"Guh-oh to diff-er-rent coll-lege-es— "

"Good girl." Maya gave her a pat on the back.

"I just, I can't imagine my first time being with anyone else." All of the memories—the first time she fell into his lap, their first painfully awkward date, kisses, glances, hands, whispers— it was moving so far away in Riley's eyes, she closed them to keep them in her grasp a little longer. She turned to Maya, "This year. Junior Prom. I am losing my innocence. I am spoiling myself. I am letting Lucas pick my flower."

"Ew." Maya whispered.

"Tell me again what it was like between you and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?"

"Riley, you can say his name."

"No, I won't. It's a swear and I don't swear. I'll call him… Mother-Chucker. It's close enough to his real name and I like it when my life relates to Gossip Girl as much as possible."

Maya shook her head, hopelessly smiling but shrugged, "I mean… it—I don't know what to tell you."

"For the first time ever." Riley declared.

Maya made herself face to face with her best friend, "I am Maya. You are Riley and Huckleberry is Huckleberry. It is different from person to person. With me and— "

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR HIS NAME!" Riley warned with a finger.

"Mother-Chucker," she rolled her eyes, "it was OK, I guess, for a first time. I mean, no matter what it's gonna hurt, it's gonna be hella awko-taco and it's just gonna… suck." Riley winced more with each negative Maya listed. "But one thing I do know, for sure, is that your first time is sure as hell gonna be better than mine."

"Why?"

"Because you're in love. You've been all googly eyed since 7th grade."

"You _were_ in love with him, though."

"Feh."

"You were, Maya." Thinking of Mother-Chucker made Maya's heart bleed with regret and dumb love.

After some beats, Maya replied, "Yeah, well, at least Huckleberry is in love with you, too. And, no matter how painful or awko-taco, that is going to make it perfect."

Maya wrapped her skinny arm around Riley. Riley's head laid on her shoulder for about five minutes until the conductor announced over the loudspeaker that they were at NYU. The girls grabbed their overnight bags from the upper cubbies and walked single file off the double-decker bus. They were walking hand in hand, on their way to meet Riley's uncle Josh when Riley, tall and fair, stopped suddenly.

"Chris Pratt?! Where?" Maya told her to only stop her on two conditions: Chris Pratt and free food. There was no food anywhere in sight, so that only left one option. "CHRIS! CHRIS PRATT I LOVE YOU!" Maya was about to run any way to her favorite actor when Riley pinched her.

"Ouch! Pinchies? Why pinchies?" She asked in a baby voice.

"You said it was OK for a 'first time'. So you and Mother-Chucker did more than one _duet_?"

Maya looked away, her cheeks becoming the color of her lipstick, "Well… he was my boyfriend, Riley. Besides, I never though feminist, bra-burning you, would try to make me feel bad about it."

Riley, remorseful, "Then, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think there was anything to tell."

"Maya, did you _duet_ with… Ramon?" Riley rolled the 'r' just right so as soon as his name was said, maracas and a seductive, deadly tango would play in Maya's ears. Ramon Santiago: taller than Riley and Lucas combined, hard as a rock yet sweeter than sugar, Cuban-born and the freshest of Maya's past exes. Ramon, or as Maya called him affectionately, Ram, transferred to AAHS the beginning of Junior Year. Impressed with Miss Hart-Hunter's good Spanish and smitten with her beauty, he pursued her with real perseverance. Truth be told, Maya wasn't really into him at first and told him this but he said that he had no fear of a challenge. So, in her mind, that gave Maya permission to bust his balls. She would trip him, cut him off in class, ruffle his hair. However, to all the teasing and hazing Maya put him through, he did the same to her. He would nudge her in the halls and push her long, wavy light hair in front her face. Once, he pulled out a chair from under her in the cafeteria, but quickly picked her up in his arms.

Shocked and off the ground, Maya asked, "God, Ram, you don't give up, do ya?"

"Are we done playing games, _mi princesa_?" He asked back. They have been dating ever since. Well, that is, until Maya broke up with him last week, for reasons no one, not even Riley, can seem to understand.

"So? Hablas chica!" Riley commanded. The Spanish snapped Maya out of remembering the look on Ram's heartbroken face when she said it was over.

"Muy bien!" Maya deflected, congratulating Riley on her improvement in the language.

"I know… now tell me, Maya. Please? Did you and Ramon…?"

"… Yeah, sure."

"WHAT?"

"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WANTED TO KNOW! GUYS ARE LIKE EGGROLLS, YOU HAD ONE, YA HAD EM' ALL!"

"WHEN?"

"WHAT ARE YOU, A DOCTOR AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD NOW?!"

Realizing they were making a Youtube-worthy scene, Riley pulled Maya into a campus coffeehouse. They sat in a love seat, almost on top of each other. Forcing Maya to sit down, Riley gawked at her with eyes as wide as saucers, wanting for her to explain.

"OK," Maya began, "It was my birthday. He set up this whole dinner and made me all kinds of tacos. You know how I feel about tacos, Riles and… that's when. After that, we did a couple more duets and that was it."

"Wait… you also dated Zay- "

"Ugh, no! We only dated for a month, remember! We didn't feel all the stuff that couples should feel, so it ended."

"So, just Ramon and Mother-Chucker."

"Yup."

Riley let her hand slip back into Maya's hand. They both held tight.

"It's like… you did all this growing up without me." Riley said, tenderly.

"Yeah." Maya replied.

"Well, well, well."

Both girls looked up and there was their chaperone, in a beanie and flannel like it was still his Freshman year. "Y'know, I'm really proud of you guys for not setting my campus on fire yet. Slow clappin' it out for you both. Great job, girls."

Maya and Riley smiled, "Josh."


	2. Girl Meets Real Life

Damn, Boing hasn't changed a bit but _damn_ has he changed a lot. Maya hasn't seen him in a while. Josh hasn't been around like he used to be. The one Thanksgiving he stopped by she missed because the Hart-Hunters were at a cabin upstate, celebrating their first holiday as real family. Maya never contacted him either, because of boyfriends and the unwanted yet so worn look of desperation/obsession that she used to have about him. But little did she know, Josh missed her back just as much.

"Bruncle!" Riley squealed, coming in for a classic Riley bear hug.

Josh accepted it with open arms, "Niecester!" Then, finally, Maya and Josh were looking in each other's eyes.

Slowly, Maya stalked towards him, "Been a while, Josh."

"Long time no see, Maya." He said with a voice deeper than two years ago. The embrace they shared wasn't awkward at all. In fact, the familiarity made Maya feel like they were back at the Matthews' residence, all hanging out together, like no time past. He smelled of sweet, strawberry smoke. His long arms held her strong and warm. She stood up on her tip-toes, now being able to reach his neck with her nose. It startled him; Maya has grown into a young woman. When she pressed her more developed body against his, grasping the shape of her petite figure and the smell of her hair, it was hard for him not to sigh. They let go and Josh held her hands lightly, "You grew up even more gorgeous."

"Oh, flatter me. No, seriously, keep going." Josh chuckled.

"OK, OK, get a room." Riley interjected, they both blushed. "Our room, please? To take our bags?"

"Wait, aren't we staying with you, Josh? I thought you had a single?" The thought of seeing where Josh slept made Maya's stomach feel like they were full of baby Janis', waiting to fly.

"You were, but I told a special someone that Riley was coming to visit— "Multiple shrieks suddenly rang out throughout the quad. Maya and Josh exchanged horrified looks but Riley just beamed because she knew her sisters were coming to get her. A group of enthusiastic girls in pink sorority t-shirts came to whisk Riley away. Her queen Matthews was being escorted to Gamma Gamma Nu, house of college girl dreams.

Maya looked up at Josh, "They've abducted her in broad daylight. We need to call the police."

He glanced down at his Chuck Taylor's and smirked, scratching his stubble. "I don't think that'll be necessary." In the next second, Josh screamed, "HEY, YOU FORGOT ONE!" Maya saw long fingers point down at her and before she could yell curses Josh's way, she was being held at the waist by an amazon of a girl who was chanting, like she was human sacrifice. Light as a rag-doll, Maya was thrown over the warrior's shoulder and carted off, while Josh just waved goodbye.

* * *

When they stopped talking, shouting, making high-pitched noises over each other, the girls of Gamma Gamma Nu weren't so bad. _In small, small doses._ Riley posted something on her Facebook about visiting Josh for the Spring Break week and one of the sisters tracked Josh down to see if it was true. When the intel was confirmed, the girls started to plan right away for their little princess' arrival. They all adored Riley because it was easy. She was just like them: cheery, smart and full of positivity. Maya, however, didn't blend in well.

Maya wasn't even sure that she wanted to be there. She only went because it was what she _thought_ she should be doing; everyone else was taking their college trips over break as well. Lucas was back in Texas, Smackle and Farkle were Boston-bound, Zay was in Philly. Although, it saddened her to think of all of them split up, Maya was happy that everyone had at least some semblance of their future figured out. The truth was, she couldn't stand school. She had a below average GPA that was only redeemable by her involvement in the arts and Mr. Matthews' pity. In class, she gave charisma and fun but never any of her insight that would shine so brightly in her paintings or sometimes in her essays, if she handed them in.

Maybe it was laziness or some undiscovered disability but either way, Maya knew she wasn't like her friends: she wasn't confident that she could survive in college, especially, away from Riley. But, of course, her best friend would hear none of this. With her big speeches and bigger optimism, Riley concluded that continuing her education was the only solution. Otherwise, she'd be setting herself up to fail. When provided with the evidence that Maya had a shot in the dark of even getting into college, Riley reassured that all admissions had their exceptions. But, that was thing: Maya didn't want to be anyone's exception. She wanted to truly belong. If the current scene of the GGN sisters fussing over Riley's hair and talking about classes and time-management and parties while Maya sat on the outside, watching her real sister be happy was any indicator, college wasn't Maya's world. It was Riley's and unfortunately, they couldn't share it.

Throughout the day, the sorority took the two high-schoolers on a tour of the campus. They saw the statue of the campus mascot, the gym, the campus housing, the rival sororities and the only frat brothers acceptable to date. It was a Monday, so after dinner in the cafeteria, the ladies settled in GGN house for bed. Maya and Riley slept in sleeping bags in the living room. Maya felt really tired but she couldn't shut one eyelid. Her best friend, of course, wasn't just catching Z's but all the letters in the friggin' Greek alphabet. There was so much running through the blonde's mind as she stared at the colorful, cut-out stars on the ceiling. Maya needed a release and she needed it now.

She raised herself on her elbow and tapped Riley's shoulder insistently, "Riles? Riley? Are you awake?" She answered with a snore. "Riley, Riley?" Maya began to shake her almost violently, "I need to talk to you." The brunette just snored obnoxiously loud, letting Maya know that she would listen but not respond. Maya blew a raspberry. It was only 11 o' clock. Discreetly, she slipped out of her Star Wars sleeping bag. She was just in a over-sized NYU t-shirt but it was warmer-than-normal night and she didn't feel like looking for some bottoms, so she just grabbed some brown ankle boots that she had on earlier. All the shuffling made Riley pop up with such quickness, Maya jumped.

"Jesus," she held her heart.

"Where are you going?" Riley interrogated.

"Oh, you're awake now? I thought you only wanted to talk to your 'sorority sisters'." Maya mimicked a Valley girl's accent.

Riley rolled and rubbed her sleepy eyes, "Don't be like that, Maya. They're super nice, you just don't know them and you really didn't try to. All day, you've just been pouting and sulking like, 'Life sucks, I'm too cool.'"

"Yeah, well... " Her voice grumbled, trailing off as she put on her leather jacket.

"Maya, don't leave. Where are you even going, it's late!" Riley whispered loudly, now getting out of her My Little Pony sleeping bag.

"I'm just going to take a walk. I'll be back soon."

"Why do you need to take a walk? What's wrong?"

"Oh, now you care?" Maya spat with her hand on the door knob.

"Maya-"

"You didn't miss me earlier, you won't miss me now. Keep your phone on, I'll text you when I need to be let in." She shut the door.

* * *

Hearing the clack of her tiny heels on the concrete, Maya was thinking that maybe she was too harsh on Riley. It wasn't bad of her to make new friends, only if didn't mean that she would be forgotten. Her phone buzzed with a text from Lucas.

 **go back to the sorority house. riley called me freaking out.**

 _ **i'm good thanks for asking.**_

 **what happened?**

 _ **ask your wife.**_

 **grow up, maya.**

Feeling herself light up, Maya was about to write a biting comeback until she bumped whole-body into another human. Her phone dropped to the ground.

"Whoa, sorry." The guy had a pleasant, breezy voice, like California palm trees.

"Yeah." Maya picked up her phone and wanted to rush off, but the guy stood in her way.

"Hey, are you a freshman?"

She was confused, but then when she looked at her shirt, Maya answered, "Maybe. Why?"

"Uh..." The guy put one arm in the back-pocket of his cargo shorts to hand her a flyer. "We're having a party at Josie's. Celebrating Spring Break, y'know? This Thursday. You should come."

She read the neon words and read the grin on the guy's tanned face. "I'll think about it."

"You do that." He jogged away, flexing his muscles.

Maya smiled to herself and walked into the nearest after-hours lounge. The barista greeted her, asking if she could get anything for her. Maya asked for Earl Grey tea and leaned her back against the counter. Her large eyes scanned the almost empty coffee-house, before settling on someone who looked a lot like... "Josh?" Upon closer inspection, it was definitely Uncle Boing. She just didn't notice him in the white tank that exposed toned arms and jogger sweatpants. Plus, he was face-down into the monitor of his laptop, the images reflecting off his glasses. Maya bit back a smirk.

"That'll be... $3.50." She tossed the money on the counter, then stealthily made her way to Josh with her drink. She sauntered up to the student, sitting on a couch for two.

"This seat taken, handsome?" That voice caught his attention, immediately and he glimpsed from the boots up to the wicked smile.

"Maya? What are you doing here? Where's Riley?"

"Just taking in the sights, y'know," she sat next to him. "But I don't think any of them beat the one I'm looking at right now." Maya was unsure of how much she was joking but seeing him get flustered, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose with a silly grin, made her want to keep messing with him.

"Glad to see you haven't changed." He giggled.

"But you - you are not the same sir, you impostor," she teased, touching the 5 o'clock shadow on this cheeks with her fingers. "Nice whiskers. You living in a trailer somewhere too? Are ya's gonna's goes to Texas and join Hah-hurr?" The deep, bordering offensive southern accent made Josh laugh even harder.

"Listen little girl, I'm busy at college, doing college things - "

"Sure."

"And besides, I like how it looks." He defended.

"Yeah? Me too." She lightly laughed and he did too. Although all this flirting was normal for their relationship, Josh wasn't sure how appropriate it was, with things being as they were. What made it worse was that he was no longer a teenager. However, Josh knew that Maya only heavily came onto him like this when she really needed to talk about something.

"So, Maya, why are you out all alone like this? Did you and Riley get into a fight or something?" Maya sunk in her seat, sipping her warm beverage. "Oh-kay..." Josh took the cue to shut his laptop, as with Maya around he'd probably be done studying. "What happened?"

Maya, heavily sighing, "I don't know, Josh. I don't know anything anymore. Maybe I never did."

Josh leaned back next to her, putting his arm around her frail shoulders. "Welcome to the world."

"It's just... Riley really wants me to go to college with her and I do too, I guess."

"You guess?"

"... I don't know. I just want everything to slow down for just one minute, so I can figure this stuff out."

"I think everyone would make that wish if they could. But unfortunately Hart, you're human like the rest of us. Figuring out stuff can be hard but you have your parents and your friends to help you get through it."

"Does that include... you?" Maya made that annoyingly cute playful face, while she poked one of Josh's biceps. He chuckled to himself, holding her a little closer.

"Yes. That does include me. Always will."

Her tone went serious, "OK, then riddle me this, Boing: do you think I should go to college?"

Josh's amber eyes expanded and thought for a moment, then quizzing, "Do you think you _shouldn't_?"

Immediately, Maya threw herself over with her hands reaching her toes. Her hair hung down to floor, "This is my process." Her voice was muddled as she grabbed a hair tie, gathering her blonde locked into a messy high bun.

"Take your time." Josh comforted, putting his hand on her back. Soon, Maya came back up for air, laying against the almost-man's chest. They fit together like a puzzle.

"It's like... I hate school." Josh snorted. "No, seriously, and I feel weird saying that because I know that school is good for me and junk but... I'm just bored with it, y'know? Like, it teaches me and all, but not the stuff I wanna know."

"What do you want to know?"

"The world."

"You don't think college is a part of the world?"

"Not the world I wanna know. I wanna see people living their lives and earning money and exploring their passions and just... freaking being, y'know! Not just waking up, going to class, studying, go to bed. I want the realness. I want real life. Do you understand?"

He paused, "Yeah, I do but how would you explore this 'real world' you seek, Grasshopper?"

"Well, there's this internship at an art gallery in Queens that I like to visit. The owner wants me to apply. It's paid and everything."

"Sounds bomb."

"It will definitely be a friggin' bomb if I tell Riley. It's a full-time internship for two years. There's no way I could go to school and commit to this. It's like everyone is so gung-ho for me to go to college, Ram was and now Riley-"

"Who's Ram?"

Maya nakedly stared at Josh, now having to explain why Riley dragged her to visit NYU in the first place. Her eyes raised to the ceiling, "Ram is my ex-boyfriend." Josh felt his throat go a little dry. "I broke up with him last week because... he wanted me to go to California with him. He got this soccer scholarship to UCLA and wanted us to live together and all that jazz." Maya wiggled her hands in the air. "I told him I wasn't ready."

"And he wasn't OK with that?"

"No, he was actually but, seeing how broken up Riley is about even the thought of her Lucas being apart made me realize that not one bone in my body cares for Ram like that. Like, I felt nothing about not being able to see him, _my boyfriend_ , for months. I didn't give a shit and Ram deserves someone who gives a shit. Multiple shits. So, I just needed to set him free because it wasn't fair for him to be with someone like me. He's so pissed off at me now and I get it, but I only did it because I want him to be happy. He won't find that with me." Josh gave Maya a heartbroken look, caressing her shoulder. "Riley swears that I'm really messed up right now because break-ups are ass and I need a vacation, so... here I am." Her delicate hands wiped the rims of her eyes. "Boing... do you think I'm messed up?"

"If you are messed up, I certainly can't tell because you are one of the funniest, most clever, most caring and loving people I've ever known." He pushed a strand of hair from her face. "Listen, no one knows all the answers: not me, not Cory, not even the professors of this goddamn place. I think in life, you have make up the answers as you go, so you can make life work for you and get your own happiness. And, you deserve all the happiness, Maya. Know that. If you don't think you're going to find it at university, OK. Take a year, take all the years you want. College ain't going anywhere. It'll always be here when you want it but someone as resilient as you can definitely succeed without it. No matter what anyone says, not even Riley. Maya Hart, you're a force to reckoned with but you gotta stop doubting yourself and make your own path. And know I'll have your back every step of the way." He smiled sincerely before asking, "But I'll tell you what I wanna know: when did you get that?" His index finger tapped the back of Maya's neck, where Janis was sleeping. "Do your parents know? Because if you have one, I know Riley has one." She does: a small, purple cat on her ankle. "Cory is going to lose his fucking mind." He said, amused.

Maya giggled through her tears, "Cory isn't my dad."

"Stop it, you and I both know Cory and Topanga are your _real_ parents."

Feeling herself about to cry again, she exasperatingly stated, "God, I'm turning into Riley again with all this crying." Josh laughed until Maya put her soft palm to his sandpaper, scruffy cheek. They drunk each other's faces until the last drop, savoring the flavor of their longing. Maya cautiously leaned in and tenderly kissed the side of Josh's stubbled cheek. He closed his eyes when the sensation of her lips ran through his veins, making him tense. Maya pulled away slowly, with all of their history rushing back to her.

"I'm-I'm sorry if that was weird... I just missed you." She stuttered softly.

"No, it's um," He couldn't take his dark irises off her pretty pout. "It's OK. It's-" Josh's iPhone buzzed, saying there was an incoming call from Olivia. Coincidentally, Riley was calling Maya. The two turned away from each other to take their awaited conversations.

"Hey." They both said.

"I'm coming back right now, Riles."

"I'm finishing up here. I know, I know, I'll be there in like 5 minutes." Josh said.

"Yeah, OK. I'm sorry too." Maya said. "We really need to talk, though. I have something I wanna tell you. OK, OK, bye." Maya watched Josh end his call.

"Yeah, of course. OK, see you in a minute." From the corner of his eye, he looked at Maya's heart-shaped face when he replied to his girlfriend, "Yeah, love you too, babe. Alright, bye." Josh turned back to Maya taking a deep breath, like he just got caught doing something wrong.

"So... you got a girlfriend, now?" Maya falsely perked up.

"Yeah, um, had one for a year now. Olivia, she's a Chemistry major. She's great." Josh glimpsed at the ground, nodding.

"I know she is." They made weak smiles at each other, then Maya's phone buzzed again. She read her text and cursed under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked, apprehensive.

"Riley says she's coming to meet me." Instantly, Maya hopped up and charged out of The Uncommons. Josh was hot on her heels, calling out for her to wait. Spastically, Maya looked in both directions about to call Riley's name in the streets until she saw a tall, lanky girl running toward her.

Her tall friend ran to her, sobbing, "Maya! I didn't know where you were! I was so worried!"

"I told you I was coming back, Sweetie." Maya pet the back of her hair.

"That was 2 minutes ago... Josh, what are you doing here?"

"Um..."

Before he could explain, Maya said, "I ran into him here."

"You could have ran into a serial killer!"

"Aw, we could have joined forces." Maya quipped sarcastically.

"Alright, kiddies, this is fun and all but I gotta go back to my room. So, I'm gonna walk you guys back to the house now, okie-dokie?"

"Okie-dokie." They said in unison. The three of them walked the tree-lined block together peacefully. The backs of Maya and Josh's hands bumped surreptitiously, itching to hold each other.

Then, carefully, Maya said, "Riley...?"

"Yes?"

"Did you remember to leave the door open?"

Riley gave a long silence, "Oops."

 **AN: If you like what you're reading, please review. Thanks, guys.**


	3. Girl Meets the Landslide

Many people use a journal or a diary to record their inner most thoughts and feelings. Maya Hart did it with a sketchbook. After talking to Josh the night before, she was perplexed as ever about the future. To do some more thinking, she opted to skip the GGN sisters' pancake breakfast and draw. Her friend passing up free food, especially pancakes, was very alarming to Riley and wished to stay with her. She reminded Maya that she said she wanted to tell her something anyway. Maya expressed that she hadn't forgotten that but she just wanted to be sure.

On a bench, outside what she thought was the Engineering building, (or some science-y building?) Maya had her colored pastels scattered next to her while she made an abstract image of the colors red, yellow, orange and blue. While she was listening to some Nina Simone, a call interrupted. Normally, while one of her zone-outs she wouldn't answer but seeing that it was one of her closest friends made her smile, so she pressed the 'Answer' button.

"Yo." Farkle's freckled face appeared on her phone-screen.

"Yo, bro. How's MIT?"

"It's pretty nice. I'm crazy-impressed by their Physics department, it's—"

"Yeah, I don't really care Farky," Maya shook her head, good-natured. "Just so long as you're having a good time."

"If I said I wasn't, would you come down here and bust some skulls?" Farkle pondered, downing a Redbull.

"With my bare hands."

"Ooh, wild woman."

"So, where's Smack?"

"I think I've lost her to an Entomology professor. She was having a conversation about maggots with him but that was an hour ago, so I'm-a go-a Smackle huntin'." The scenery behind him moved, "I'm putting the phone down while I get ready."

"I can see that, Farkle."

His voice was heard off-screen, "The reason I called though was because Riley's absolutely perturbed about you." Maya rolled her eyes ever-so-deeply because, _of course_ she called Farkle.

"Well, she ain't got nothing to be ' _absolutely perturbed_ ' about. I said I'm fine."

Suddenly, Farkle came back into view to clarify, "You turned down free pancakes, Maya!"

She sighed, "I will regret that but, seriously dude, I'm OK. I just… need time to think about the future."

"What about the future?"

"The way it's coming so fast and we're all going to be split up soon. It's scary."

The perspective of Farkle's phone moved around his hotel room shakily, and then settled back on his face. "I think we can all unanimously agree with that," he sighed, sitting down. "Especially with senior year coming in the blink of an eye but you haven't talked to Riley yet about this?"

"Not ready to face it all yet, but just let the kid know I'm fine, OK? I'm not gonna like, go AWOL or anything. I need some time to myself." The words sounded strange coming from Maya, but Farkle understood and respected them.

"I'll relay the message, Captain."

"OK, thanks. See you in a few days?"

"Uh… I'll let you know once I find Smackle. Over and out."

Maya giggled, "Peace."

Before stuffing her phone back into the pocket of her hoodie, Maya huffed, frustrated. She couldn't avoid this conversation forever; especially not with her other half. However, it she learned anything about how to deal with her emotions: when in doubt, draw it out. Maya continued to sketch, focused on every line that showed up on the paper, until someone put their big hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?" The voice demanded. Maya knew with all her heart who it was, but needing a bit of fun, she decided to play with Mystery Man.

"Listen, Joe, I told you: I won't have your baby for less than 100 grand. Take it or leave it."

"What?!"

"Hey, Josh." Maya grinned up at him. He took a place next to her, peering over at her latest artwork. He quirked a thick eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee, "That looks... chaotic. But nice."

"Yeah, welcome to Chaotic City. Population: 1." She smeared some of the colors together with fingerprints.

"No Riley?"

"Nope," Maya enunciated. "She's having breakfast with the GGN sisters."

"You haven't talked to her yet?"

Again, "Nope."

"... Because you haven't made up your mind?"

Maya exhaled through her nose like a dragon blowing smoke. "You know Boing, I find it magical - that, or highly suspicious - that you keep showing up everywhere I am..."

"Yesterday, I met up with you two because technically, I'm still your chaperone. You knew you were going to see me and last night, you 'happened' to run into me, so if anyone's being stalked-"

"Oh, get over yourself." She gave her most exaggerated New York accent. "Shut up and just admit that you're following me around because you're still in love with me. After all these years, you just couldn't avoid the road not traveled. Go on, I won't make fun of you." Maya rested her chin on her colorful hand, jokingly batting her eyelashes at him.

"OK, anyway," Josh swerved Maya's deflection tactics with a red face. "If we're being serious, I think that you already know what you want. You just don't want to talk to Riley about it because you are finally going to have acknowledge that you're going to start finding yourself without her."

Maya twirled a pastel in her fingers, "It's unimaginable. There was never any 'me' without Riley. It's not just her I don't want to upset - it hurts me too. Having to separate myself from the person I love the most... it's unbearable to me."

"We all have to do things that we don't want to, sometimes, and we do them because we know that will be better because of it. I'm sure there's a 'you' without Riley, you're just afraid to find her. Why?"

"... What if Riley doesn't like her? Or, what if I don't like the new Riley?"

"I doubt that could ever happen. A love like what the two of you got-you can't break something like that. Ever. Impossible." He pulled a smile her way, "Besides, both of you care too much to ever let yourselves grow apart. And, she might not be all that upset about it." Maya gave Josh a dismissive look. "You don't know, people can surprise you. Even the ones you've known your whole life." Maya's clear blue eyes became glassy, staring at Josh. He held her hand, whispering, "Tell her."

"OK, OK, don't get your panties in a twist, stalker."

"Listen, little girl, this is my campus. You're in _my house_ , alright? You can't stalk where you eat."

"Josh is a stalker, Josh is a stalker..." Maya teased in a sing-song voice.

"OK, you asked for this." Josh quickly put down his cup of coffee and snatched Maya's sketchpad away from her.

"Josh!"

"I'm taking your sketchpad and I'm throwing it in the trash," for the record, Josh would never do such a terrible thing; he just liked to see her squirm. He dangled the book over the trashcan.

Maya ran up behind him, shouting, "You're dead!" She rocketed onto his back, trying to take the prize from his hands. "GIVE ME MY BABY!"

"That all you got, Ferret?!" He swung her around on his back like a wild horse. Soon, she was climbing her small figure over his shoulder spider-like, reaching for the sketchpad with such effort that Josh had to keep the game going, switching arms. His arm held Maya's waist as she inevitably slipped over him to grab the book and he caught her bridal-style. Their laughter was uncontrollable.

Josh gave her a small toss in the air then grabbed her, mocking and smiling, "Think you're so tough, right? Huh?" Maya's merriment was pouring out like a waterfall, she was laughing so hard. Josh was under the same spell, until his girlfriend, Olivia, walked into the picture.

His face dropped abruptly, "Olivia." Hearing his girlfriend's name, Maya instantly stopped smiling and got off of her friend's uncle.

"Hey, Josh." Now face to face with her, Maya realized that calling her his 'girlfriend' was an understatement: she was a woman. With her pretty, caramel complexion and eyes like hot chocolate, Olivia couldn't be more perfect even if God had personally created her with his own two hands. "Who's this?"

* * *

On the walk back to his single suite, Josh held hands with his girlfriend but said nothing. When they entered his room, Olivia sat on his futon. "So, what was that?" She asked, wringing her wrists.

"What was what?" Josh didn't look at her, instead he pretended to organize his desk.

"The whole scene with that girl in front of the science building... and last night..." Josh whipped around to flash his eyes at Olivia. The look on his face said everything. She explained, "My friend works as a Barista at The Uncommons. She said she saw you with a little blonde girl, all over each other. My guess? It's the same girl. She even sent me a picture."

Josh gritted his teeth at the fact that Olivia was questioning him. "Olivia, Maya is my little niece's best friend, just like I told you. That's all."

"Your little niece's best friend? Seemed like more to me." Olivia glared at him.

"I've known her for years! That's just how we are with each other." Still feeling that she wasn't convinced, he grabbed his laptop, "You want proof?" He put himself next to her on his bed and opened the folder that said, 'Pictures'. The files were labeled by years and he opened '2014'. He clicked on a picture of the whole family at Christmastime. "See this? This is almost four years ago, there's me and there's Maya, _waaayyy_ over there." He used the mouse to circle their younger faces to emphasize the space. "Satisfied?" Then, he bluntly shut his computer and walked back to his work desk.

"OK, you win." Olivia rose up, with her hands in her back pockets. "I'm sorry."

"You know," He pivoted, contempt dripping in his voice. "What I find most hilarious about this is that, you have the gall to question who I'm with and where I'm going, when you're the one who cheated on me. It's just-it's so funny."

"I know! I know, it's just-I don't feel that you want to be with me. Like you've already given up on what we have."

"I said we could try again, did I not?"

"Yes, but do you really want to? Josh, I want to get us back more than anything but it's like you haven't really forgiven me."

Closing his eyes, he heavily sighed and took a seat on his black futon bed. He felt himself getting a head-ache. "Well... it sure as Hell doesn't help that I have to see his stupid face every other day. It's like a constant reminder. Olivia, I love you and I want to move forward but... it's just hard. You've got to give me a bit of time." He rubbed his eyes, as if he were trying to erase the night she told him she slept with someone else from his frontal lobe.

Olivia ran her hands through her raven hair and joined him. She held his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I know. I know how lucky I am that you took me back after making such a dumb mistake. I want to make it up to you Josh, but you've got to let me." She cupped her hand to the shape of his face, forcing him to look into her hypnotizing eyes. "Will you let me?" The tone of her voice was airy and seductive. Her breath smelled of cinnamon and then her french manicured fingers stroked the nape of his, playing in his hair. Olivia put her plump lips on top of Josh's, enveloping him in lusty but quick kisses. He took every kiss in like tranquilizers, slowly sedating him to submission.

Olivia's pure hands started to pull Josh's shirt over his head. Josh began to take the lead, overtaking her on his futon bed with kisses, licks and some spiteful bites on Olivia's neck. One of his hands snaked their way up her shirt to squeeze her left breast, eliciting a deep moan. Could he and Olivia find their way back to each other? It seemed to him like too hard of a problem to solve at the moment, but thank God for his bed: the temporary solution.

* * *

Maya was alone inside the GGN sorority house. One of the girls had a guitar in her room, while waiting for Riley to get back and waiting for her nerves, she took the acoustic and strummed out one of her favorite tunes.

 _I took my love, took it down_  
 _I climbed a mountain and I turned around_  
 _And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills_  
 _'Til the landslide brought me down_

 _Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?_  
 _Can the child within my heart rise above?_  
 _Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?_  
 _Can I handle the seasons of my life?_

 _Well, I've been afraid of changing_  
 _'Cause I've built my life around you_  
 _But time made you bolder_  
 _Even children get older_  
 _And I'm getting older too_

Maya heard the door click open then the group came in, excited from the new rain. She stood up and anxiously put her hands behind her back.

Riley left the group in the foyer to greet her best friend, "Hey Maya! I just sat in my first college class and I was talking about global patriarchy! I almost got into a fight with a student! It was so exhilarating, you should've come!"

Maya made a crooked smile, "That's great, honey but can I talk to you for a minute? In private?"

Riley's sunny demeanor gloomed a little, "You ready to talk?" Maya nodded. "OK, let me just tell Bridget we're borrowing her room." She went over to the red-head for a fast confirmation, then gestured for Maya to follow her. The two girls walked down the hallway passing two doors, until they saw a picture of the same red-headed girl posing with an acoustic guitar. Maya now knew whose instrument she stole. They entered the pink room and sat on embroidered pillows on the floor.

The blonde took a deep breath, "So... I-"

"You don't want to take Art at NYU." Riley answered for her. Maya's lucid, blue eyes grew big in awe.

"How'd you know that, Dr. X?"

"Maya, I've known you your entire life. Don't you I would be able to realize when you don't want to do something?" Riley beamed at her best friend's surprised face. "It's OK! We'll just find another major that you're interested in."

Maya frowned, knowing it couldn't be this simple. "No, Riles... I don't want to go to college. At all."

"Maya, you're overreacting to one bad experience-"

"It's not like that, Riley. I have never liked school, point blank, period. The only reason I would go so consistently is because of free lunch and being around you. But now, even though I love you, I don't those are good enough reasons to pay thousands of dollars to take classes I don't even care about."

"But you can be an Art major! Or if you don't want to box yourself in, you can be Undeclared for a year."

"I can make art anywhere I want, when I want, for free. Besides, I didn't tell you this, but there's this internship at a Queens gallery, Fisher Landeau, that I want to go for. I'd work closely with the curator, researching exhibitions, assist with artist submissions... probably go on a coffee run every now and then. And they'd pay me too, Riles. This could lead to a real career for me."

"That's amazing, Maya but why can't you do that and go to school?"

"It's full-time for two years. The chances of me doing this and maintaining good grades aren't likely."

"I'd help you!"

"I know you would but I couldn't ask you to do that. It'd be too much."

"But why won't you try, Maya? Why do you think you're prone to failure?"

"I don't! Which is why, I don't want to put myself in a place that I know I _will_ fail! Riley, I don't want college and with my GPA, college probably don't want me either." Maya tried to laugh the seriousness off.

"I told you, your SAT scores will be great and you could write a fabulous essay-"

"Riley!" Maya held her shoulders and looked into Riley's bright, brown eyes. "I'm not going to college. I'm not going to college with you. I'm sorry."

"But..." The brunette was now on the verge of crying. "What if the internship isn't what you thought it would be? What will you do then?"

Maya shrugged, holding back tears herself, "I'll do whatever I want to do. I mean, I'm not saying that I can't change my mind but right now, it's just not in the cards, kid."

"I just don't want you to make a mistake that you can't take back, Maya." Riley wiped a tear away.

"And I love you, so much, for that but we've got to make our own choices and mistakes. We've got to live our own lives. I can't always be with you and you can't always be with me." Saying that out loud crushed Maya.

"That's not true!" Riley protested.

"Riley..." Maya rolled her wet eyes, with a mournful smile. "When you become Mrs. Huckleberry, do you think you want me on the honeymoon?"

"Yes! We're all going to Dubai! You're gonna love it!"

"Don't think Mr. Huckleberry will."

"I'll make him."

Both girls were having laughing and crying fits. When that was over, Maya sniffled, "Riles... you've wanted to go college since I've met you. You wouldn't stop talking about how you want to save the world. And I know you will, with that fancy Communications degree. But me... I just want to live in the world, for now."

"Maya, I don't want to do this without you. I mean, Lucas was bad enough but you? I don't think I can take it."

"Well, until the day you leave for college, I'm gonna be in your face every single mother-fluffin' day and when you're at college, I'll facetime you and spam you with texts so much, you're gonna want to call the cops."

"I'm going to harass you so much, you're going to want a restraining order." Riley responded.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Riley and Maya collapsed into each other's arms, weeping.

Maya kissed her friend on the cheek, "I love you, Thunder. Forever."

"I love you forever back, Lightning." Riley onto her tighter.

After a few moments of intense hugging and crying, Maya asked, "Riles, why are crying so much? We still have a full year together, don't we?"

"And we're still going to live in New York. So, it doesn't make sense to be this emotional," Riley tearfully giggled.

The laughter was contagious, because soon Maya was doing it too, "We're such idiots."

"How do people like us?"

"How are we allowed to do anything, at all?"

When the laughter died down again and managed to physically let go of each other, they decided to spend the rest of the day together. For the first time in a long time, their time wasn't wasted on boys or school. It was strictly a Maya and Riley day and they savored it because they were wise enough to know it wouldn't last. But, that's what made it all the more meaningful.

* * *

After they were done their marathon of hysterically laughing, crying and laughing some more, Riley was extremely pooped out. They were back at the sorority house by 9 PM and Riley was sleeping by 9:03 PM. For a brief moment, Maya joined her only to wake back up in some part because of the heavy rain but also, she really wanted to speak to Josh. He encouraged her to talk to Riley about her feelings and now there was this huge weight off her chest. She wanted to thank him and admittedly, she just wanted to see his face. It was 11 o' clock again but because of the inclement weather, she opted to call him first. No answer. Maya called him again and it was same result, so then she texted him.

 **hey, i'd really love to talk to you right now. call me boing. please?**

15 minutes past and no text back. It did occur to her that he could be sleeping, but Maya remembered that he said Thursday was his free day. Also, Riley had his guest card and dorm address in her bag. Maybe... he wouldn't mind company so late? Because he had nothing to do the next day, so it wasn't like he had to be up early. She just wanted to talk to him and she was sure Josh wouldn't mind. That was it: Maya had officially talked herself into it. She swiped the cards of info from Riley's bag, grabbed her hoodie and left the sorority house.

What would have normally been a 10 minute walk from the Greek neighborhood to the campus dorms was nearly a half-hour in the storm. Still, Maya survived, drenched but alive.

The security guard made a squinted face at Maya and she snapped at him, "It's called 'Rain', ever heard of it?!"

She shortly showed the guest card and the irritated guard let her in. The prospect of seeing Josh made her heart beat out of her chest. She could literally hear the thumps in her ears and she walked down his hall. Standing in front of the numbers on Josh's door made Maya quivered, but she knocked anyway. When there was no answer, she banged on the door again, now irrationally thinking Josh had been kidnapped or murdered. Suddenly, the door swung open. Josh stood there, tired and agitated.

"Maya? What's wrong?" His bedhead hair made Maya smile from cuteness. "S'Riley OK?"

"Oh, yeah! Yes, Riley is totally fine."

"Then, what are you doing here?" There was a slight hardness in Josh's voice because he was barely getting any sleep as it is and that made Maya shrink a little.

"I... just wanted to talk to you. I finally talked to Riley about not going to college! Everything went great. Except for all the crying crap. Ain't ya gonna invite me in?" Maya stepped to the right of Josh to see inside but in his bed she was able to see Olivia, twisted up in covers with her nipples poking through the thin sheets. Josh closed the door shut behind him.

"Maya, do you know what time it is?" Josh scolded. "Something could have happened to you out there, do you not get that? And look at you! You're soaking wet! You could get really sick!"

"I-I didn't know you'd be so upset-"

"Really? I'm your chaperone, Maya! If something happens to you or Riley, I'm responsible! How does that not register in your brain?"

"Well, I didn't ask you to watch me, Josh." Maya challenged back. "I'm not a little kid, I can handle myself!"

"And I didn't ask you to come here, yet here you are, at my doorstep. Do you understand how weird this looks?"

Maya, now offended, "No, I _don't_ understand how weird this looks."

"My girlfriend is inside! You can't just drop in on me anytime you want! I have my own life!"

A tornado of emotions riled in Maya: she was embarrassed and hurt and angry all at once. Josh, coming to terms with that he might have went too far and took his frustration out on the wrong person, tried to appeal to Maya, "Listen, let me get my shoes and I'll walk you back-"

"Don't bother." She curtly cut him off and paced away from him.

"Maya! May- ah, _damnit_." He hurriedly went back into his suite and flicked on the light. Olivia was already awake.

"Who was that?" She asked, drowsy.

Josh, putting on his Chuck Taylor's, "Maya. I have to make sure she gets back to the GGN house safe."

Olivia straightened hearing his 'niece's best friend's' name, "It's almost 1 AM and she's visiting you? You sure she's just a friend?"

"I don't have time for your paranoia right now, I have to catch up to her."

"Well, let me come with you."

"No," Josh said a little too quickly. "There's no time for that. Stay in bed. I'll be back soon." He grabbed his leather jacket, shut off the light and closed his door, leaving Olivia completely in the dark.

The rain let up to small drizzle and Josh went in the direction that the guard said the little, rude blonde girl went in. After a couple of blocks, Josh saw a small figure with a hoodie and small heeled boots walking in the middle of the street. Knowing it was Maya, he followed but kept his distance.

Feeling someone behind her, Maya shouted without turning around, "Stop following me, Josh!"

"Not until you get into the GGn house!" He answered. In the next minute, Maya took off in a sprint down the pavement. Josh sighed, "Such a brat." Then, he amply chased after her.

Maya heard the footsteps behind her and ran harder against the rain. Lightning flashed behind her. Whenever she felt herself slowing down, Maya thought of Josh catching up to her, touching her, looking at her, then she ran a little faster. Finally, she was outside of the Gamma Gamma Nu house, finding her breath. Remembering Josh saying he wouldn't leave until she went inside the house, Maya stood on the sidewalk. She saw Josh's shadow inching closer and closer until he was right behind her. Maya felt his fragmented breathing and spun around to meet his eyes. He was wearing a beanie, the dots of rain and sweat shined on his forehead like diamonds. Maya's eyes never looked so clear to Josh, there underneath the pale streetlight. They were counting the drops of water on Josh's partly open lips.

Now, maybe the rain actually had made her sick like Josh said it would or maybe the running had given her this rush of adrenaline, but either way she took a huge risk. Maya quickly tilted her head up to put her mouth on Josh's. She kissed his lips so earnestly. Josh was utterly shocked by the clash of their lips, all of his instincts were telling him to stop but he couldn't bring himself to. Seeing that he seemed to be accepting, Maya deepened the kiss, opening her mouth more giving Josh full access. Feeling weak, Josh slightly pushed his weight on the smaller girl, leading her to put her arms around his neck. When he tasted her tongue, so sweet and good, Josh heard himself groan. That was his wake-up call.

In agony, he bluntly ripped Maya's hands from his neck and detached himself, turning his back to Maya and shaking his head. Josh couldn't bare to see her face. He listened to her run into the sorority house and slam the door.

 **AN: If there were errors, I'm sorry, I was up late writing this. If you like what you read, please review. After this, there might be one or two more chapters, then the story will be done. Thanks guys.**


	4. Girl Meets Control

She pressed her back against the door. It was the only thing that could hold Maya on her feet. Slowly, her pruned fingers unbuckled her boots and she left them by the door. Maya creeped past Riley, putting Josh's information and guest card back into her night bag. Finally, she slinked into her sleeping bag in her wet clothes. Needless to say, Maya didn't get much sleep that night.

In the morning, Riley woke up and greeted the beautiful sun like she always did. "Good morning, world." She turned her slim body to her best friend, attempting to shake her to wake her up. "Rise and shine, May-yahh?!" Riley cringed the last part of her name because she was freaked out by her hands being so moist. She didn't need to wake up Maya anyway; her night was blurred by crying, light dozing and thinking. Her current phase was thought. "Why are you all wet? And you're still in your clothes?"

"I went out last night," Maya replied, monotone.

"In the storm? Why?"

"Riley, I'm not feeling very well today." Maya avoided, still gaping into the pitch blackness of the fireplace.

"Well, today I'm going to hang out with Josh and were going to watch shows that you like to make fun of! Those two things always seem to put a pep in your step." Instead, however, Riley saw the blonde freeze up at the sound of her uncle's name. "Maya?"

"No," Maya snuggled deeper into her position, like a turtle going back into its shell. "That's OK."

"You don't even want to see your beloved Boy-yoy-yoing?" Riley's soft hand went to Maya's head like a magnet. "You don't seem to be running a fever but you must be coming down with something." The blonde just sniffled. "Do you need anything? Do you want me to stay and take care of you? I have this chicken noodle soup recipe I've been dying to try-"

"No, Riley." Maya shortly cut her off. "I'll be fine by myself for a while."

"Well... if you're sure..." Riley sounded uncertain.

"Yes."

The brunette sucked in her bottom lip, "OK." She leaned over to kiss Maya's damp forehead. "Feel better, Maya."

Riley got dressed into a striped t-shirt dress and flats, put mascara on and double-checked that everything she needed was in her purse.

"I'm leaving now," Riley called to Maya. "Do you need anything from outside?" Still, Maya never moved or made a sound. Riley looked at her friend worriedly before exiting quietly. When she heard her friend leave the house, Maya let one stray tear fall onto her pillow.

* * *

Hearing a very polite knock on his door, Josh knew that his niece has arrived. He made quick glance around the room making sure everything was appropriate and clean. Then he went to the door and greeted, "Hug me, niecester!"

"Bruncle!" Riley did as she was told. Sometimes, Eric would say that Riley and Josh are so close in age that they were more brother and sister, then uncle and niece. Therefore, he came up the hybrid nicknames of 'niecester' and 'bruncle'.

"Well, sit down, make yourself at home," Josh picked up the DVD's on his desk while Riley plopped on his futon. He sported his game host voice and held an imaginary microphone, "Hello everybody! Welcome to the Gossip Girl marathon, being held here at the lovely NYU campus, complete with commentary from Josh Matthews," he held the fake mic to Riley's mouth.

"And Riley Matthews." She smiled.

"Today, I will be talking about how this show about young, spoiled, rich kids who claim they're a 'family of friends', repeatedly do awful and mean things to each other is problematic and just plain stupid." Riley then snatched the microphone from Josh.

"And I will be talking about how this is show is riveting, with complex story-lines and has amazing character development, friendships and fashion." Riley emotional defense made Josh grin.

"OK, let's begin."

"Yay." Riley clapped. Josh put in a disc from the first season and pushed his swivel chair next to Riley as she laid on her stomach. Before the first episode could even start, Josh and Riley started eating from the bowl of popcorn Josh made. As Gossip Girl's voice made the introduction, Riley's eyes looked over at Josh.

"So, I asked Maya to come today but she's sick, she says." With her chin in her hands, Riley watched Josh's reaction the whole time. Josh also visibly stiffened, but he recovered much quicker than her friend had.

"Do you think she'll be OK?" He kept his brown eyes on the television screen.

"I don't know. Do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Josh, the only time I've ever seen Maya with the look she had on her face this morning, was when she was sad or hurt about you."

His tongue touched the roof of his mouth, trying to figure out what to say. Then, Josh pressed pause on the remote and turned to Riley, "What _exactly_ did she tell you?"

"So, something _did_ happen?"

Josh sighed deeply, closing his eyes in disbelief that he could give himself, and Maya, away like that. Then, he turned the show back on, dismissing, "Doesn't matter. It's over."

Persistent, Riley grabbed the remote from Josh and paused it again. "Josh, I don't understand. If you like Maya, then why can't you be with her?"

"The timing is wrong."

"The timing is _always_ going to be wrong. It's not like she's just going to stop being three years younger than you."

Josh groused, tired, "Riley, I wouldn't expect you understand."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're not in my position! Three years doesn't seem like a huge gap, but development-wise? Maya and me are in totally different places. I mean, just think about the fact that I'm in college and she's still in high-school. Why would I be dating a high-school girl, when I have women around me that are my own age? I like Maya, I really, really do but-"

"No buts because you don't have one!" Riley blurted out with her finger pointed at Josh, making his dark eyebrows knot in confusion. "Sorry. I got that from someone else, but Josh all that you're saying, it's ... _B.S_. That's right, I said it! It's B.S. because you and Maya have a connection and you're using your little difference in age to run away from that."

"OK, Riley, think of it this way: Imagine another couple, same ages as Maya and I; 17 and 20. Now, when you think of a 20 year old dude with a 17 year old girl, wouldn't you have suspicions about his motives? Wouldn't want to ask him, "Why can't you find another 20 or at least, 19 year old girl? What can you get out of dating a high schooler?" Wouldn't you think about how he might be trying to take advantage of their development differences and think, 'Ew?' Riley, wouldn't you say 'Ew?'"

Riley bit her lip, thinking. Then, she admitted. "Yes, I would say, 'Ew.'" Josh gestured his hand to his niece and put it back on his thigh, in victory. However, Riley continued, "But Josh, I know you and I know Maya. She doesn't just like you because you're older, and you don't just like her because of some twisted, power dynamic. You like her because... you _like her_. You care for the real her. "

Josh's tongue hit the roof of his mouth and he scrubbed a hand over his tired face. "OK," he sighed. "There's something that I forgot to mention before..."

"Which is?"

"I have a girlfriend."

"... You do?"

"Yes, so can we please stop talking about this now?" He leaned over and reclaimed the remote to press 'play'. Never in his life has he been so enthusiastic to watch Gossip Girl. Imagining more arguments in her mind, Riley crossed her legs in the air and rested her head on her folded hands. Suddenly, akin to when the apple landed on Newton's head, her head sprung up in a 'Eureka!' fashion.

"Why didn't you mention your girlfriend first?" Riley asked.

"What?" Josh said with a mouthful of popcorn, investing himself in the show.

"You could have just said that you had a girlfriend when I first asked you about Maya. That would have been the end of the conversation because infidelity is inexcusable and I would never want to make my best friend a mistress. You could have given the most valid excuse first, but you didn't. Also, there's the fact that the vacation is almost over and I, your only niecester, have not met this 'girlfriend' yet. No, what you said first, is 'the timing is wrong.' Which means, _oh Josh, you do love Maya!_ " Riley gushed.

"Riley, enough!" Josh barked in such a way that Riley has never heard before. "I said I don't want to talk about this anymore! Now, please..." He didn't mean to yell at Riley but to have to think about Maya and not just his own pain, but the way he's hurt her, was just too much.

Riley, thrown back by Josh's reaction, "OK."

It was 4 PM when Riley got back to the sorority house. She found Maya still laying on the hardwood floor, apparently sleeping. Because she had bigger-than-average sized feet, Riley tip-toed to her best friends side and softly tried to wake her.

"Maya," she touched her arm. "Maya, Peaches, it's 4 in the afternoon." Maya gave a slight response, groaning and turning over. "Maya, I've been thinking; I know this has been a hard trip for you and I want us to have fun on our last night here. So, we can do anything you want! The campus is our oyster!" Maya then looked at Riley, with big eyes. "Well, hello there," Riley greeted.

"I want... to go out." Maya managed in a small voice.

"OK! Where?"

"There's this party... at this place..." For the first time all day, Maya left her sleeping bag and walked over to her leather jacket. Riley quickly tread behind her, looking over her best friend's shoulder to see what she was searching for. Then, she found the flyer in one of her pockets. "Sprung Break at Josie's." Maya read aloud. "I want us to go to this."

"Um... " Riley said nervously.

"Riley, you said anything I want." Maya reminded her.

"I know but... " Riley was about to deny her best friend's request but knowing how rough the fallout with Josh must've been, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath, sunnily replying, "OK! Let's go."

" _Yassss, honey!_ " Maya cheered, hugging Riley. "We're gonna have so much fun, tonight! I'm gonna go get an outfit together!"

"OK..." Riley trailed off with a weak smile, watching Maya excitedly rummage through her duffle bag. Not wanting to get involved in Josh and Maya's drama, Riley decided it would be best to try to get her best friend's mind off of things. They were two people that she both loved very much and trying to fix things might make everything worse because they were obviously living some type of misery over it. So, if Maya wanted to go get trashed at a bar, Riley could support that. Let her make her own choices. But for some insurance, she texted her GGN sisters to ask them to tag-along. The only problem now, was what was Riley going to wear?

Finally, 10 PM arrived. Riley and Maya got ready in the unoccupied bathrooms of the house, because it so happened that most of the sorority was also going to this party. Riley walked down to the main bathroom, checking on her friend.

Riley heard Maya's phone playing the Arctic Monkeys and she gently knocked, "Mai-tai?"

"Come in, Riles."

Riley opened the bathroom door and it was like she walked five years into Maya's future. She was in this metallic, silver, very low-cut disco top and dark blue skinny jeans that proved that she no longer had a boyish figure. With her killer stilettos, she could finally see eye to eye with Riley and those blue eyes were intensely smoked out with eye shadow.

Maya posed on the sink, "Well?"

"I want to be you when I grow up."

Maya's tossed her blown-out blonde tresses in a laugh, "Tell me about it, Stud." Now getting a closer look at her friend, Maya's lipsticked mouth pulled a straight line. "Oh, honey..."

"What?" Riley looked down at herself, wearing another t-shirt dress with long sleeves in the color of red wine. She was wearing low-top white sneakers because heels hurt her feet. Besides, she was already tall. On her face, she only had mascara and tinted lip gloss, because good makeup is expensive and cannot be wasted.

Maya snorted a laugh, realizing that Riley was always going to be Riley and that was a good thing, "Nothing. You look great, Sweetie." She put on her long drop earrings and grabbed her clutch. Effortlessly, Maya then walked over to her best friend, looping her arm around Riley's. "So... you ready?"

Riley flatly raised the roof.

"Good enough."

* * *

Maya, Riley and the Gamma Gamma Nu sisters strutted down 10th street to Josie's bar. The blocks were full of students and their friends and their friend's friends with red cups. They brushed shoulder with under and upperclassmen alike, they held hands not to get lost. As they entered the bar, Riley looked above the sea of heads and it was jam-packed.

Almost choking from the pot smoke, she crouched down and asked Maya, "Are you sure-?"

"Yes!" The blonde cut her off firmly. Whenever it seemed some space let up, the two girls quickly filled it, making their way to the bar-stools. On their way, Maya accidentally bumped into a guy.

"Sorry," she said looking up at him.

The man grinned back down at her, "You made it!"

Slowly recognizing him as the guy she bumped into a few nights ago, a slow smile grew on her face, "Yeah, yeah, I guess I did."

"Who are you? Maya, who is this?" Riley almost frantically asked over the thumping, old-school 90's hip-hop.

"This? This is..."

"Jeff," He held out a hand for Riley to shake. "Jeffrey Gao, and you're Maya... " He gathered.

"Right! My friend here is Riley."

"Salutations." The brunette gave a fake smile.

"Uh, would you ladies like a drink?"

"Corona bottle?" Katy taught her daughter that if a guy was going to get her drink, make sure it was fastened so he couldn't tamper with it.

"One Corona and... "

"None for me, thanks."

Jeffrey Gao shrugged and disappeared into the crowd. Maya quickly turned to her best friend and pinched her arm with ferocious power.

Riley shrieked, "AH! Pinchies!"

"What are you doing?"

"Do you remember the last time I drank?" Maya rolled her eyes, knowing it was story-time. "Lucas took his dad's flask and we all passed it around? I said things I didn't want to and I flashed my Hello Kitty bra at you all. Smackle took a picture! Nope, nope, none for me, thanks. And honestly, you shouldn't have any either Maya. This isn't a good idea."

"Listen, Riley: this is a party. And I'm not going to-" Maya's words left her mouth once she saw Josh. He was in a less crowded area of the bar, playing pool and smoking a joint with his friends. Riley noticed how Maya's demeanor changed and turned around, seeing the same person Maya saw.

Riley quickly turned back to Maya, "Maya, I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd be here." Her words fell on deaf ears; it was like all sound escaped, all the people evaporated and she just saw Josh, less than 15 yards away. "Maya?"

She looked back at Riley, confident and continuing, "Riley, it's a party and we're going to have to get used to life without each other soon, right?" Riley nodded sadly pouting. "So, I think this would be a good test run. Get out there! Show everyone how amazing you are! Have a shot! Have four! Just... have fun." Jeff then reappeared with Maya's drink. She topped off the crown with ease and started downing the beer. Then, Riley saw some of the GGN sisters within reach.

"I could go with Taylor and Sam, see what they're doing... " She talked herself up.

"Yeah! Go get em', slugger!" Maya encouraged Riley away with a pat on the shoulder. Unsure, Riley paced in the direction of her sorority sisters. She looked back at Maya and the blonde gave her a huge thumbs up. Riley returned it limply.

Jeff leaned down to Maya, "Is she fun?" He asked, referring to Riley.

" _Oh, oodles._ " She reassured, taking another sip.

* * *

This has been a crazy week. Mid-terms sucked, work sucked, his relationship was deteriorating more everyday and Maya's emergence basically flipped everything upside down. This kick-back with his friends and his favorite poisons was much needed and as he felt, deserved. Although, he was having a good time with the boys he hasn't seen in a while, he couldn't get Riley's words out of his head.

 _You like her. You care for the real her._

Truthfully, Maya has been on his mind ever since they kissed in the rain. Coming to grips with his feelings and the new-found fact that he did in fact cheat on Olivia, was just a jungle gym of landmines for him. Every time he saw Maya's eyes in his head or thought of her lips on his, he took his medicine in shot glasses. By midnight, Josh had a very good buzz going. He relished in his stony, drunk state and still having the ability to beat his buddies out of their money on the billiards table.

Until, he looked up and saw Maya dancing with a guy he knew. His liquor mixed with jealously raised a toxic combination in his blood. When he saw her blue eyes glance over at him, he immediately stopped his game and charged for Maya and Jeff. Jeff, seeing his friend come towards him, acknowledged him only to be ignored. He snatched Maya's hand and led her outside. She glanced back at Jeff as she was being dragged away.

"Let go of me!" She took her hand back. They stood near the building, the streets were a little clearer at this time.

"What are you doing here?!"

"What do you care? You have your own life, right?"

"Maya, that's not-"

"No, Josh..." She pushed her hair over to one side, shaking her head. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of the Long Game. I like you. I want to be with you and don't pretend that you don't want me, because if that were true, you would not have carried me out of the bar-"

"I didn't carry you, I pulled you and I did that because I don't want you with guys like him!"

"That's funny; the way he was about to speak to you, it sounded like you two were friends or something."

"Don't you know what he wants from you?"

"Yeah, and so what?!" Maya retorted. Josh was completely silent and Maya licked her lips, looking in him in the eyes. "I'm not this naive little girl. I've had boyfriends, Josh. Not just one. I know things," she sauntered toward him with her hands on her hips. "Some of the things I picked up, some of the things they willingly taught me." She pressed herself onto Josh's lean body. The young man didn't move away. Maya was so close their noses grazed, whispering into his lips, "I can do everything your college girls can do, probably even better." She bit her bottom lip, trying to make contact with Josh's mouth. At the last second, Josh took a step back.

Maya laughed, bitterly, "Fraidy-cat." When she felt her eyes about to water, she began to walk away, saying, "Let's not waste each other's time." Maya was almost to the glass door when Josh reached for her wrist, holding on tight. Maya looked back at him, furious, "Let me go, Josh. Right now." He had no choice but to relent. The blonde shook out her hand and went back to the party. Meanwhile, Josh stood there alone, lost in his conflicting thoughts.

* * *

After letting his emotions cook and stew outside of Josie's, he ripped the bar door open in search of his niece because there was no way on God's green earth that Riley would let Maya go somewhere like this by herself. On his journey to Riley, he saw Maya again but instead of Jeff, there was a whole crowd of his friends, teaching the blonde how to play pool. One of them straddled behind her, bending over her, helping her reach an 8-ball. Maya just giggled along. Josh felt sick to his stomach. Suddenly, he saw Riley at the bar with two other girls, presumably sorority girls. Holding a drink, Riley was talking with a smile and laughing. They were both having a better time than him at his own campus party.

He strode up to them and Riley glowed, "Hey bruncle!"

Josh, darkly, "Riley I need to speak with you. Now." He took her hand with a sense of urgency.

"Ooh, OK." Before he could lead her to a more secluded area of Josie's, she grabbed her Coke and Rum.

"Do you know what your friend is doing?" He asked, while Riley sipped her drink through a straw and shook her head. Annoyed, Josh turned Riley around to see Maya dancing with a new guy and in a backwards cap.

She turned back to Josh and answered brightly, "She's dancing with strange boys!"

"Why aren't you stopping her?!"

"Well, you know you can't stop Maya from doing anything! You know that. You can't stop her from dancing with strange boys, I can't stop you from smoking Cancer sticks; you just gotta go with the flow, man. Everyone has to make their own choices, live their own lives." She reminded herself. "I gotta live my life, she's gotta live her life and you gotta live yours, which you decided shouldn't include Maya so, you have no right to be upset with her. Ooh, Rum makes me mean." She shrugged and chuckled in Josh's bothered face. Figuring out that Riley refuse to come to his rescue (and was right to do so), he took Riley's glass of liquid courage from her.

"OK, you? No more of this," He threw the whole glass in the trashcan.

"Boo!"

Josh escorted Riley back to her 'chaperones', telling them to stop letting her drink. Riley may talk, think and act like an adult sometimes but that was still his baby niece. The girls seemed to understand and he left them to watch over Maya. His glass was glued to his hand as he saw the guys basically swarm the blonde like bees to honey. He couldn't see one of them kiss her. He wouldn't be able to control himself or be held accountable for what he might do. So, he had to craft a plan. Without warning, he thought of his wise niece's words again, albeit for the wrong reasons.

 _She doesn't just like you because you're older, and you don't just like her because of some twisted, power dynamic. You like her because... you like her. You care for the real her._

 _You don't just like her because of some twisted, power dynamic._

 _Power dynamic._

 _Power._

 **AN: One more chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Girl Meets Twenty

**A/N: OK, guys. We made it to the finish line. TW: Won't lie, there are elements of emotional abuse in this chapter.**

 **Please cue songs to enhance your reading pleasure:**

 **679 by Fetty Wap ft. Monty**

 **Cake by the Ocean by DNCE**

Maya was officially bored. She was idly sitting around her male admirers, smiling at things each of them said every now again, so they didn't think she was totally tuned out. However, all of their voices began to sound the same. It was 2 AM and almost everyone at Josie's went home to go to sleep and prepare for their Spring Break. It was just Maya, her gaggle of guys and Josh. Josh sat by his lonesome at a table, drumming his fingers on the surface. About five minutes after he told GGN sisters, Taylor and Sam, to stop feeding his underage niece drinks, Riley passed out next to some beer nuts. Taylor and Sam felt bad for getting Riley so drunk and carried her back to the house. They tried to coerce Maya to follow them, but she declined. Because Maya couldn't be left completely alone with a bunch of strangers, Josh sobered up and waited. He received a text from Olivia, asking if he was preparing for their trip to Miami. He ignored it and continued to observe the scene.

After drinking her weight in alcohol, Maya was numb. She wanted to dance to every song, by herself or with someone, it didn't matter. She just didn't want to go home, not yet. Maya had to have at least one fun night on this freaking trip from Hell. Sloppy but free, she fist-pumped to the EDM with three other guys on the dance-floor. With her eyes closed and her face bathing in the colorful, club lights, she looked so peaceful. Maya's arms raised above her head in freedom and her suitors whooped, jeering her on. When the song was over, she laughed exhausted and the two guys hovered around her. Suddenly, a trap beat came on and she thought of a friend.

Maya yelled, so ecstatic, "OH SNAP! OUR SONG!" She ran away from the guys and pulled out her phone from her pocket. She almost threw herself over the bar, trying to catch her balance. Maya pulled out her iPhone and scrolled down her contacts, then up, then down. Everything looked blurry. Then, she fell on his name and managed to press, 'call'.

The phone rang, then a groggy Zay answered, "Maya?"

Maya's mouth took up the whole camera screen, "ZAAYYYYYYYY. Zay, they're-they are playing our song! Shh, shh, listen!"

He squinted his eyes, trying to listen as closely as he could and turning his nightstand light on.

"I'm like yeah, she's fine. Wonder when she'll be mine? She walked past I press rewind, to see that ass one more time..." Even drunk off her ass, Maya was an impeccable singer. She sang 679 by Fetty Wap; it was the song they sang all the time together when they first started dating.

"AND I GOT THIS SEWED UP!" Zay joined in. "REMY BOYZ THEY KNOW US! ALL FAST MONEY, NO SLOW BUCKS! NO ONE CAN CONTROL US!" Zay laughed watching Maya dab and milly-rock on his screen. "You turnin' up, baby girl!"

"Thatpartthatpartthatpartaye." She completely switched to another rap song.

"Hey Maya, Maya, where's Riley?" Zay tried to get Maya to focus.

"Pfffttt." She waved the question away. "At the Ggg house... in Texas... or something..."

"She left you?"

"Zay! I miss you!" She slurred with a goofy smile.

"I miss you too, baby girl. Is there someone with you?" Zay's brown eyes searched behind her for any signs of recognizable life. Maya moved her phone to show a whole bunch of dudes in event t-shirts and cargo shorts.

"But Zay," she put her mouth on the microphone because she was talk quietly, "they are so, _so_ corny."

"Well, stay safe, baby girl, OK?"

"Zay, wait! Don't leave!" The tone of her voice almost sounded pleading.

Worried, he asked, "What's the matter, Maya? Do you need help?"

"No-yes-no, I just need to ask something."

"OK, ask away."

She sighed, cradling her head in her one hand. "Why... why didn't we work out, Zay? Why did we breakup? Did you think I was too messed up?"

Zay's eyebrows raised and his mouth opened, taken aback by such a serious question. "Um... maybe we should talk about this when we get back to school and the Goose doesn't have you feelin' loose-"

"NO, I want an answer nowww..." Maya whined.

"Uh... we were just better as friends, y'know?"

"Why?" Maya grabbed a handful of beer nuts and put them in her mouth. Then, she promptly spat them out. "Because I'm messed up, right?"

"No! Not at all! We just... didn't have that chemistry. In a relationship, being good friends sometimes isn't enough. You should be with someone who you don't just want to see all the time but like, you feel like the world will end if you don't. And when you kiss them it should be like..."

"Lightning." Maya finished, thinking of her kiss with Josh in the rain.

"Yeah! And no offense, baby girl, but I didn't feel lightning with you. But, I'll be real with you: I really, really wish I did. Did you feel that with me?"

"... No. Not at all." Maya answered, callously.

Zay frowned, "Well, that hurt my feelings but at least, you know what I mean. We're better as 'you and I' than 'we.'"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Maya sighed, shaking her head and pushing her hair out of eyes. "I know you're right."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, just... thinking. About stuff. Dumb stuff."

"OK... well, I'm gonna go back to sleep now because it's late. We can talk more later."

"Zay?"

"Hmm?"

"I really miss you, man." Zay and Maya broke up and after, it was like they were unable to achieve the same closeness they had when they were dating. That really made her sad.

"I miss you too, Maya. Now get home safe, eat some ice cream and go to bed, OK? Text me when you get in."

She giggled, "OK."

"Goodnight."

"'Night."

After hanging up with Zay, Maya buried her head in her arms. She half-hoped that chunks would rise in her throat and she'd throw up, so she'd have an excuse to go home. Her harem of guys had no idea Maya was a minor, so to reveal now was a no-go. Maya didn't know if she wanted to cry, or sleep, or call her mom. Snapping out of her depressing thoughts, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Excitedly, Maya pivoted in the bar stool, thinking it was Josh but it was one of the faceless upperclassmen, asking if she was OK. She put on a big smile and said 'Yes', letting him take her back to the dance-floor.

* * *

When it became clear to Josh that these douchebags weren't giving up until one of them took Maya back to their dorm, Josh decided to execute his plan. Being a Psychology major, he had advantages of manipulation that most didn't; not that they didn't have the talent, they just didn't have the know-how. But thinking of what Riley said to him earlier triggered his deceitful instincts. Josh justified it by telling himself that he didn't want Maya to end up in the wrong hands, a.k.a. hands that weren't his. His jealousy outweighed his ethics and he decided to use his education, not for a job, not to help someone, but to steal a girl away. Can't let all those student loans go to waste.

Luckily, the DJ began to play a song with a strutting bassline that even made Josh wiggle his hips a little. He inhaled determination and went over to Maya and the boys. One of the them had his hand on her thigh, the other was talking in her ear. Josh was livid. Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw someone walking towards her. At first she thought she was hallucinating but it really was Josh. She wanted to be happy, but then again, he might just want a second round of their fighting match.

He held out his hand, "Dance with me?"

Maya look back and forth at the two frazzled guys, then Josh's hand and then his big, kind eyes. She saw it as an apology and perhaps a show of his understanding that she was a young woman and not a girl. With a small smirk, she took his hand and he took her to the floor.

 _Oh, no_  
 _See you walking 'round like it's a funeral_  
 _Not so serious, girl; why those feet cold?_  
 _We just getting started; don't you tiptoe, tiptoe, ah_

Josh wasn't much of a dancer when he was younger. At middle school dances, he would usually just hang out with his guy friends and at his proms, if the dancing wasn't slow or silly, he wasn't with it but with the intoxicating music and beauty of Maya, Josh suddenly became less shy with his rhythm. They started off appropriate by holding hands and moving to the beat. He even spun her around a few times to see her smile.

 _Waste time with a masterpiece, don't waste time with a masterpiece_  
 _You should be rolling with me, you should be rolling with me, ah_  
 _You're a real-life fantasy, you're a real-life fantasy_  
 _But you're moving so carefully; let's start living dangerously_

To Maya's surprise, his fingers laced with her's, pulling her closer. Testing the waters, she moved her hips side to side, seeing how well Josh would keep up. He passed with flying colors, holding her by the small of her back. Josh let Maya take some of the lead, gradually pushing Josh to the wall.

 _Talk to me, baby_  
 _I'm going after this sweet craving, whoa-oh_  
 _Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy_  
 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_  
 _Walk for me, baby_  
 _I'll be Diddy and you'll be Naomi, whoa-oh_  
 _Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy_  
 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_

Maya turned her body around on Josh, dropping her bottom to the floor and picking it back up painfully slow. Her hair tossed over to one side, showing her butterfly tattoo. She backed into Josh's center, moving like a washing machine and holding his hands around her gyrating hips.

 _God damn_  
 _See you licking frosting from your own hands_  
 _Want another taste, I'm begging, yes ma'am_  
 _I'm tired of all this candy on the dry land, dry land, oh_

Josh was frightened at how much he was enjoying this and panicked about how hard it would be for him to stop. Occasionally, Maya would grind lower, making her naked back arch and Josh groan for mercy. She leaned her back against his front and looked up into his face. Josh's eyes looked dark and foggy, when his face wasn't in the crook of Maya's neck, smelling the smoke and sweat in her hair. He twirled her around and held her with both arms. Their foreheads rested on one another, sharing the heat.

 _Talk to me, baby_  
 _I'm going after this sweet craving, whoa-oh_  
 _Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy_  
 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_  
 _Walk for me, baby (walk for me now)_  
 _I'll be Diddy and you'll be Naomi, whoa-oh_  
 _Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy_  
 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_  
 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_  
 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_

Staring into Josh's eyes, Maya couldn't help herself. She dug her fingers into his hair, playing with the strands on his neck. She said into his ear, breathless, "I want you, Josh. I've never wanted anything or anyone more in this world."

His plan worked. Hopefully, now he could follow through because he was in just as deep as Maya. Trying to mask the desire so thick in his voice, he said back into her blonde mane, "Wanna go back to my dorm?" Eager as ever, Maya snatched Josh by the shirt and dragged him out of the bar. The couple past breezed past all the men who took a number for Miss Hart-Hunter. She jumped on Josh's back and he piggy-backed her into the night, laughing all the way. Phase one, completed.

* * *

Now, came the hard part. On the elevator up to his suite, Maya had her hand in Josh's back pocket and her soft, wet lips on his neck. He shut his eyes, gathering his nerves. His arm squeezed around her waist like a python. They held each other up, walking to his door. Out of anxiety, Josh fumbled with his keys. That, and Maya was lightly biting his earlobe. He opened the door in what felt like centuries later to them both. Maya started stripping Josh's jacket off of her as soon as she stepped in the door. Josh locked to door, then the little blonde pounced on him. He caught her in his arms and she caught him in the lips. He tried so desperately to avoid kissing her as Maya's sweet lips was Josh's weakness. She held his face, making the kiss as deep and slow as she could, feverishly teasing his tongue. He walked them over to his bed, holding her by her thighs. Josh put Maya down on his futon and released Maya's grip on his neck. Oblivious, she started to clumsily kick off her heels. She noticed Josh sit calmly down in his leather, swivel chair.

"Watcha' doin'?" She asked, leaping off the bed to go to him and sit in his lap.

"Maya, no..." He pushed her away. Maya was confused but kept grinning.

"Still playing hard to get, I see. Well, it's too late for that, ya hussy. C'mere," She tried to hold his face to kiss him again, but he sucked his lips in, turning away. Maya put her arms at her sides, staring Josh down. "What's wrong? Does my breath smell or something?"

Josh scoffed, hunching over, "I didn't bring you up here to hook up with you, Maya."

Maya tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"We're not going to do anything. No kissing. Nothing."

Ashamed, Maya shrank back, "But why? What did I do wrong... ?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Josh laced his hands on the back of his neck, leaning down and taking deep breaths.

"Then, what? What, Josh?" Maya's anger started to rise by degrees as she proceeding to tell him off. " You know what, I don't understand you, Josh! I don't understand what you want from me! I kiss you and you pull away. Every single time! I dance with other guys and give them my attention, you steal me away and dance with me like... like you want to be with me. Finally, we can become something more than what we are and then you pull-whatever the hell this is! Why are you doing this to me? What, you don't want to me be other guys if they're not you? Is that it? You just wanted to keep me from other guys?!"

By the guilty look on Josh's face, Maya figured it out. Josh manipulated her into thinking that he wanted to be with her, to keep her away from the campus guys at the bar.

Her jaw was working, not knowing what quite to say except, _"Unbelievable."_

"Maya, I'm sorry-"

"Josh, this is really messed up. Like, _so fucked up_ , honestly." Her eyes were traveling back and forth, her mind racing.

"Maya, it was my only way to keep you safe-" Josh tried to explain.

"To let me throw myself at you, like some groupie! That was about my safety, or-or about your need to keep me all to yourself? You knew how I felt about you and you used that against me."

"You every right to be upset-"

"No! No! You do not get to give me the right to be upset! I know when I'm right and when I'm wrong. I know and understand every choice I make because they're mine. You took that away from me because, you don't believe in me. You don't trust me!" Maya shoved a hand into his shoulder, before walking away to walk towards the window.

Josh stood up, "That's not true! I didn't want to hurt you, Maya-"

She spun around with gale force, looking into his eyes, trying to see if he was for real. "I have been rejected by you so many times- do you understand how _humiliating_ this is for me? Oops, no, you don't or else you wouldn't have done this! You know, they should have a rule here: don't let psychos into the Psychology department."

"I didn't want you to get hurt!"

"And what do ya call this, Boing?!" She cried, tearfully. "... _What do you call this?"_

Josh looked at how he broke Maya and wanted to console her but, knew it was no longer his place because he no longer had her trust. Sick of searching his face for answers about how he really felt, she grabbed her shoes, quickly mumbling, "I-I can't stay here. I gotta get outta here. I wanna leave."

"Maya, it's really late; too late to try and go back to the house-" Josh had his hands raised, trying to reason with her. It was no use.

"Josh, let me go now, before I start screaming." She shakily threatened. "Get out of my way."

"Maya, please, listen-"

Suddenly, the little hand that was holding him and giving him all the affection, smacked Josh clean across the face. The sting was nowhere near the emotional pain he put Maya through, so Josh moved aside. Maya ran down the hall, carrying her silver stilettos in her hand. She kept running barefoot, all the way back to GGN sorority house as the sun rose.

* * *

"Now Boarding: Staten Island..."

Riley and Maya missed their original bus to Greenwich Village. Everyone in the house had overslept. Their chaperones were too drunk to be their chauffeurs to the Megabus station, so they chipped in for an Uber. They all gave Riley a heartfelt see-you-later and told Maya it was nice to meet her. To hide hangover face, the girls wore their hoodies up and put over-sized sunglasses on. Shockingly, after the nightmare she's had, Maya was holding up pretty well on the outside. Riley, however, needed to be carried to the Uber car, out of the Uber car and into the bus station. Maya gave him a $5 tip for the help. As soon as they got to a bench and sat down, Riley rested on Maya's lap, yawning, "'Night, Mama." Then, she drifted off to sleep with her thumb in her mouth. The blonde absently stroked her best friend's hair, waiting for the next bus home.

After this week, Maya had no idea what to feel or think about Josh. On the one hand, he was still her Uncle Boing: attractive, pragmatic, funny, smart and her personal therapist. On the other hand, he was Uncle Psycho: sneaky, manipulative weirdo, who withheld his true feelings like a miser. Still, the thought of never seeing him again, or seeing him but not being able speak to him, broke her heart more than anything. Maya knew that her negative feelings for Josh were valid, it was the positive, gooey, sappy ones she couldn't explain.

Whatever. Maya shook it off. She didn't need to think about this anymore. Maya had SAT's to think about. She had Junior Prom with Zay, the Fisher Landeau Internship-

"Is this seat taken?" She heard Josh's voice and looked up through her dark lenses. She just turned her head in the other direction. He assumed that they had left for Manhattan on time but one of the TPP girls told him they were taking an afternoon bus. So, instead of going to Miami like he planned, Josh traveled to the Megabus depot. Josh kept trying to meet her eyes, but Maya refused.

Later, after the awkward silence, Maya finally said, covering Riley's exposed ear, "There is not one thing you can say to me, Josh. Not one _fucking_ thing." Her voice was low with disgust.

"I know there's nothing I can say to make what I did last night OK-"

"Then, leave me alone!" She snapped in a whisper.

"I just want to explain where my head was at, OK? And then I'll leave." Maya was as stoic and still as a statue. Josh went on, "I knew those guys. Like you said, some of them are my friends. They... aren't exactly a monogamous group. So, I truly didn't want you to get hurt, but, you're right when you say it was more about me not getting hurt and getting what I wanted. It was really messed up of me to take advantage of your feelings for me the way I have and I'm sorry. It's like when it comes to you, Maya, my common sense just goes out the window. I was so jealous, that I wanted to keep you away from all the guys at all costs, and the only way I knew to do that was to pretend that I... "

"Say it."

"... I had to pretend that I was going to hook up with you, to get you to leave with me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have listened to me."

"And so what, Josh?" She angrily took off her aviators, letting him see her hurt and weary blue eyes. "I don't have to listen to you all the time. It gives you no right to play God."

"Yes, yes, I know but-I want you to understand something," Maya looked at him insistently. "Just because I didn't hookup with you last night, doesn't mean that I don't want you. Because last night... I was inches away from breaking my plan, so many, _many_ times. Even before last night. I like you, Maya. I like you a lot." Josh's sincerity made Maya's face soften into a smile like Mona Lisa's. "But, I can't be with you right now because-"

"Our age?" It wasn't hard to guess, it was like a broken record.

"Yeah."

"But, Josh, why?" Maya complained.

"Because, I don't ever want to do what I did last night! I don't want to use the power I have in this relationship to use you because of jealousy or-whatever!"

"You wouldn't do that!"

"Maya, _I already did!_ " Josh sighed and cracked his neck. After Maya left he just sat in his chair, counting the dents in his wall. "Look, even with the happiness being with you gives me, our age difference is something I'm not comfortable with right now. I'm just not." Maya looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. How did they just end back up where they started?

"So," She shrugged, defeated. "What now? And don't you dare say the Long Game."

Josh scoffed, "Oh, no. No, no, no. I think within this one week we shot the Long Game straight to Hell. Like, we threw up the game-pieces and board and said 'Fuck it'." Maya made a small chuckle. "But, I do have a new proposal, which, I have to warn you, isn't too far away from the Long Game."

"I'm listening."

"In 2 and a half years, you will turn 20 years old and I will be 22, going on 23."

"This is true."

"17 and 20, doesn't sit well with me but I think I could handle being in the same decade with you, as an adult. Or adult-ish. Therefore, on your 20th birthday make sure I'm the first person you call, and I will come to wherever you are, so we can have our first real date."

"So... we can't even talk to each other until I turn 20?"

"Not necessarily, I still want to talk to you and be in your life but... remember when we said 'Someday' to each other?" Maya nodded. "Well, our 'someday' will start the minute you turn 20."

Always straight-forward, Maya asked, "What if I'm with someone by then?"

"Then, I'll be happy for you, Maya. Truly."

"What if you're with someone by then? Like that Olivia girl?"

"Yeah..." Josh sucked air through his teeth, letting his arm find it's way around Maya's shoulder. "I don't think that's gonna happen."

"Oh, really? Why not?"

"It's not working out." Josh said matter-of-factly, watching the blonde's lips curl into a devilish grin. "Stop it."

"I'm not doing anything." The smile didn't leave.

"I see the wheels turning in that little mind of yours."

"There are no wheels. It's like the stone-age up here." They got a little closer to each other, while Riley started to snore. Pensive, Maya turned to Josh, "So, what's so great about 20? Do you think I'll change that much?"

"It's not that I want you change, I just want to see you blossom and I don't want to get in the way or influence that. I was a different person at 17 than I am now. A lot of perspectives changed, friendships change, and even relationships. I mean, who knows, we could both be single by then and your feelings might be different toward me."

Maya, looking head-long into his eyes, "Not gonna happen."

"Now Boarding: Manhattan..."

Hearing the arrival of their bus, Maya adamantly shook her best friend awake. Riley groaned and sat up, looking at Maya, "Are we going home, Mama?"

"Yes, darling, we're going home."

Then, with half-shut eyes, she looked at Josh, "What are you doing here, Josh?"

"I just came to see you guys off." He shared a smile with Maya.

"Aw, you two look like baby angels..."

"OK, time to get up, Riles." Maya and Josh were standing opposite each other, each one holding on of Riley's arms. On the count of three, they pulled the brunette up and helped her to the bus. When on the bus, Josh and Maya let Riley collapse in a window seat. As soon as Maya sat down, Riley cuddled up on her best friend's shoulder.

"You got everything handled, Hart?" Josh asked her.

"I've been handling this for almost 20 years. What do you think?" Josh beamed and winked at her before walking away. However, he suddenly can back, leaning on his knee to be head level with Maya.

He whispered, "20?"

Maya made a smile as big as her heart, "20."

"Tickets! Now checking tickets!" The conductor called. Josh hastily kissed Maya's cheek and ran off the bus. Maya handed both their tickets for the conductor to punch, content in her joy.

When she received the tickets back, Riley piped up with her eyes still closed, "Congratulations, Mrs. Boing."

Maya, chuckling, "Shut up, Wino."

* * *

 **2 1/2 Years Later...**

Josh was at his small cubicle in his unimpressive apartment that he shared with another NYU friend. Although, his Psychology degree could have taken him a number of places, he ended up working as a junior assistant at his sister-in-law's firm on Wall Street. It was late on a Friday night and he was still going through case reports, until his phone rang face-down.

Picking it up, he smirked and answered, "It is 11:54. Not quite your birthday yet, gorgeous."

Maya replied, "I called you to ring it in with me, gorgeous."

" _Oh, duh_."

"Yeah, you can be a little slow."

Josh swore he heard Maya breathing particularly hard, "You sound like you're outside. Late night at the gallery?"

"Well, this artist is really picky about the way the pieces are arranged. We probably switched them a thousand times."

"Die for the art, right?"

"Psh, not me. It ain't my art." Josh laughed. "So... what are you doing, like, right now?"

"Just looking at some files, taking notes." He went over to the professional picture of he and Maya at her Senior prom. He picked it up and inside the same frame was photo-booth pictures of them on the same night. "Why? What's up?"

"I want to talk about my date."

"Now? I mean, happy birthday gorgeous-"

"Thank you, gorgeous."

"But it's still pretty late. Have you put that much thought into this?"

"Of course, I've been waiting for 2 years and some change!"

"OK, when do you want to meet?" There was a insistent knock at the door. Josh grinned with teeth, going to see who it was. Opening the door revealed 20 year old Maya, holding bags of Chinese take out.

"Right now," she answered him and invited herself in.

Josh chuckled as she flew past him, shaking his head. "Such a brat." He closed the door.

 **AN: Thanks so much for the reviews, favorites and follows you guys. This story was a lot of fun. Happy trails.**


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